NIC-ICTU today launched a new document in the Long Gallery at Parliament Buildings, with Conor Murphy MLA who agreed to ‘sponsor’ the event before becoming Minister for the Economy during the very welcome restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive.
As well as Minister Murphy, the event heard contributions from senior trade unionists from NI, GB and the EU, including:
* Esther Lynch, the General Secretary of the ETUC,
* Shavanah Taj, General Secretary of the Wales TUC,
* Dr Lisa Wilson of the Nevin Economic Research Institute,
* Gerry Murphy, Assistant General Secretary of ICTU.
The event was chaired by Paddy Mackel, chair of NIC-ICTU.
The new policy paper, Democracy at Work Social Dialogue and the Tripartite Model is intended to dovetail with Smart Money: Better options for Northern Ireland’s public finances, launched last summer and which helped inform the debates around the revival of the Stormont institutions.
The full policy paper can be read here
The aims of the policy paper can be summarised with these three objectives:
1/ Introduce the case for a social dialogue model including trade unions as equal partners, common among administrations across Europe and in these islands.
2/ To recall that a form of social dialogue, the ‘tripartite model’, served us all well at an earlier time of crisis, during the ‘troubles’ and the more recent Covid pandemic. However, that inclusive model has gradually eroded with trade unions pushed to the sidelines.
3/ To highlight the undermining of the tripartite model on crucial non-departmental public bodies, such as the HSENI, and Tribunals.
NIC-ICTU see this event as the initial honouring of a pledge made four years ago in New Decade New Approach, which committed to “creating good jobs and protecting workers’ rights… where workers have a voice that provides a level of autonomy, a decent income, security of tenure, satisfying work in the right quantities and decent working conditions…”
Addressing an audience of MLAs, trade unionists and leaders of government departments, agencies and public bodies, Gerry Murphy asserted that greater social dialogue:
• Leads to better policy making because it is informed by knowledge and experience from all social partners.
• It democratises the policy making process enhancing its legitimacy and a sense of ownership.
• It increases transparency and trust in new policies making them easier to implement with widespread support.
• It helps mitigate inequities and ensures representation of communities who are often shut out of the process.
• It ensures that we can have economic growth while also creating a more equitable work environment.
• It breeds cooperation which in turn nurtures innovation and productivity and better working conditions for all.
• It reduces power imbalances in our labour markets which helps to alleviate and ultimately avoid conflicts and disputes.
We are here to represent working people and make a positive contribution to the building of a better future for everyone.
We believe that the social dialogue is the way to capture our experience and knowledge. Together we can make a real difference and that is what this paper is about
Mr Murphy concluded.
